A state audit has found the former director of the Malvern Public Library in southwest Iowa was keeping two sets of records in order to steal thousands of dollars from the city. State Auditor Mary Mosiman says the city asked her office to look into the situation after having some concerns about the claims submitted for payment.
“Our investigation identified that the library director — miss Stacey Buick — had a total of $32,903 of improper or unsupported disbursements on behalf of the library,” Mosiman says.
She says part of the improper disbursements involved the payroll. “She had time sheets that were approved by the board that she submitted, time sheets with a higher quantity of hours that she actually used to pay herself,” Mosiman says. Mosiman says Buick also got cash for items she bought for herself. “She did this by altering receipts,” Mosiman says. “She would sometimes use white-out to change the totals that were on the receipts or change the descriptions. So basically, she was using library funds for personal purchases.”
Mosiman says they’ve recommended the city institute a system that has more than one person reviewing the purchases and that the city only pay for the purchases after they have been made. The information in the audit has been turned over to the Mills County Attorney’s Office, the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Division of Criminal Investigation.